In collaboration with Library Street Art Collective, Shepard Fairey is taking on one of the largest wall murals he has ever produced — 185 feet tall (about 17 or 18 stories high) and 60 feet wide.
Fairey had the overall design mapped out and a few of the background elements in place when he began the official work along with the help of three assistants and a window-washing rig last Saturday. From WWD’s recent article: “I enjoy doing these because you’re working up against a wall, then when you get back to see something that big taking shape, it’s a very gratifying achievement. It’s not like working with a [size-] two-hair brush and being a master craftsman on a canvas. It’s a lot more blue collar, work hard and get it done,” he said.
The wall piece was started last Saturday and will be revealed in tandem with a solo show put on by Library Street Art Collective. Fairey’s democratic and “for the people” inspired artworks really seem to fit seamlessly into the current hopeful Detroit urban narrative. The cityscape is bleak; a reminder of how rapidly changing the realm of industry is and with this rapid variation comes a level of eventual ruin. This idea is central to the themes of the work; the show is entitled “Creation and Destruction”, giving a visual projection of Detroit’s expectant future.
For more information about the project check out this article by Rosemary Feitelberg and the Library Street Art Collective website.
